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National market update

Existing-Home Sales Jumped 4.4% in March

WASHINGTON (April 21, 2017) — Existing-home sales took off in March to their highest pace in over 10 years, and severe supply shortages resulted in the typical home coming off the market significantly faster than in February and a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Only the West saw a decline in sales activity in March.

First-Time Home Buyers by the Numbers: Are Your Habits Normal or Not?

If the plans of home shoppers on realtor.com® bear fruit, 52% will be buying their first home in 2017—a huge shift upward from a mere 33% in 2016. Could you be one of them this year, finally settling into a place that's all yours?

New home sales (February)

National economic indicators

Home ownership

1st Quarter 2017

1st Quarter 2016

The homeownership rate of 63.6 percent was not statistically different from the rate in the first quarter 2016 (63.5 percent) or the rate in the fourth quarter 2016 (63.7 percent).

New home sales

Feb 2017

+6.1%

March 2017

+5.8%

Sales of new single-family houses in March 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 621,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 5.8 percent (±15.5 percent)* above the revised February rate of 587,000 and is 15.6 percent (±15.0 percent) above the March 2016 estimate of 537,000.

Source: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

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Regional market updates

View market statistics for your region.

Click on the links below to view data from two different industry sources. Choose information on local prices & state sales from any of 178 metropolitan housing markets prepared by the National Association of REALTORS® or information on sales & price activity from local area markets in 25 states prepared by Clarus MarketMetrics.

Local Sales & Price Activity

Oscar Hernandez

Home Ownership matters…to people, to communities, and to America. Why? • For every two homes sold, one job is created in the U.S. • Each purchase generates as much as $60,000 in economic activity over time. Read more

Buying is now cheaper than renting in 74 percent of the nation’s largest cities. Low home prices and “rock-bottom” interest rates as well as tax advantages of homeownership are the reasons why it’s now cheaper to BUY a 2-bdrm home than to rent one. Check out this CNN Money article with the details. Read more

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Consumer tips & hot properties

The Factors That Really Boost Your Home’s Value

A home is an investment—and some appreciate more than others. From square footage to architectural style to feature amenities, find out which factors are the most valuable.

Housing Trends eNewsletter is filled with U.S. Census Bureau key market indicators, consumer videos, blogs, a real estate glossary, mortgage rates and calculators, consumer articles, real estate radio, realtor.com® local community reports and local and national real estate sales and price activity provided by local MLSs and the National Association of REALTORS®.

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